Gary Mills has warned his Wrexham AFC players must keep the same mentality and level of intensity for Saturday’s game against relegation threatened Boreham Wood as if they were playing one of their play-off rivals.

Boreham Wood are two places and one point above the National League drop zone, but have picked up seven points from their last five games, and secured four clean sheets in their last six outings.

Only four teams have conceded less in the National League this season than the Wood, and those currently occupy the first four places, however, it is at the other end Luke Garrard’s side have struggled – only Welling United in 23rd having scored less.

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And while the Wood are fighting for survival, Mills has warned his players must be on the top of their game to pick up the win and keep their play-off push alive.

“They (Boreham Wood) have been fighting, they have picked up some good results, particularly away from home, not wins but they have got a clean sheet at Grimsby, a clean sheet at Barrow in their last couple of away games, so obviously they are set up to be solid, and not concede,” said Mills.

Action from Boreham Wood v Wrexham AFC. Pic by Jim Roberts

“It might be a game of patience, of biding our time, but trying to dominate the game with our possession and just wait for the opportunities and take them when they come along.

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“It is certainly interesting at the top, but also certainly interesting at the bottom as well, and I am glad I am not down that end. But they are picking up results, so we will have to be at our best, the mentality of we are playing Boreham Wood – a team down in the bottom six – nothing changes, the mindset has been fantastic, certainly over the last month or so, and it has got to maintain that way.”

While praising the Wood for their defensive record, Wrexham themselves have kept clean sheets in their last four outings, and are on a seven match unbeaten run that has seen them rekindle their fight for the top five.

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Heading into the weekend Wrexham are in eighth place after the majority of their rivals played their games in hand, but Mills’s men are only five points off the play-offs heading into the final 10 games of the term.

The manager added: “I think when you look at clean sheets obviously you talk about the goalkeeper first of all, and talk about the back four, and they have done superbly well.

"Blaine (Hudson) and Manny (Smith) and the full-backs when need be have thrown their bodies on the line and blocked shots when they need to.

"But it is right from the front and working hard from the front, making it difficult so that we don’t have to defend so much at the back. It is great to have clean sheets, and we want to continue that tomorrow.

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“We can be critical, we know it is not perfect, we know it has not been perfect, is it ever going to be perfect?

"But we know that we will create chances, sometimes more than others, but no matter where we play or what we have done, even the Macclesfield (game) where there wasn’t an abundance of chances, Kayden (Jackson) had two great chances to win the game and that is all it takes.

"As a team we know we will create chances, and I think we are about fourth highest scorers in the league, so it proves we are taking a lot of our chances, that is what I mean by patience, when the chances come along we have to take them.”

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Mills confirmed his side has a clean bill of health for the visit of the Wood on Saturday, with the exception of Jonathan Royle.

Javan Vidal (groin), Jamal Fyfield (hamstring) and James Gray (spider bite) have all returned to training this week and are in contention, while Lee Fowler was also training on Friday after undergoing shockwave therapy on his heel in midweek and should be fit for Saturday’s match.

And that leaves Mills with a nice selection headache.

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“Everyone is fit apart from Jonathan Royle,” said Mills. “So I have got to make sure that I go and put a team out there that are capable of not only keeping a clean sheet, but capable of scoring goals.

“I am going to have to upset two or three, because I have got some younger players that are doing exceptionally well now.

"Johnny Smith who we have talked about, and also Danny Reynolds, who is doing particularly well. They have come to the fore now and come into my mind and possibly, might be involved, so there are going to be players who have played a lot of games this season who are going to be sitting in the stand tomorrow.”